Soul Fragments
by Sulphuric Wolf
Summary: Arceus decides that every legendary needs a Soul Item Like Lugia's Silver Wing, or Groudon's Red Orb , as well as a signature attack. This causes alot of interesting complications, however. Legendary Scramble Challenge, See inside for shippings.
1. Prologue

Hello, and welcome to Soul Fragments! This first part of the story will involve just a smidge of forth wall breaking, just because I need to explain what the heck is going on.

Well, this fic will feature 17 shippings, obviously involving the 34 legendary pokémon. These are COMPLETELY randomly generated, I literally looked up "random pokémon generator" and fished out the legendaries one by one. So, here they are:

CelebixMesprit

GroudonxRayquaza - ScorchedSkyShipping

HeatranxArceus

AzelfxUxie - Liliopshipping

RegicexLugia

LatiasxArticuno - SkyBlueShipping

PalkiaxRegirock

JirachixDarkrai

MewtwoxMew - CatShipping

Ho-ohxGiratina – BlackSunShipping

ShayminxMoltres

DialgaxSuicune - TimeStreamShipping

RegisteelxZapdos

CresseliaxLatios RunawayShipping

EnteixRegigigas

RaikouxDeoxys

ManaphyxKyogre

Whew… some good ones in here, some bad ones too. Well, not bad, but interesting. I'm going to have, by my calculations, two yaoi and one yuri pair. Also, Darkrai will be written as a female, just because I've never seen it done before.

Hmmm… this is going to be pretty huge…

Okay. I know this chapter is bad. It's not meant to be a shining jewel of art; it's the prologue. This just generally outlines what the basis for this story is and the general concepts. The actual story starts in the first chapter, which will be coming soon.

Any items or attack names which you think are lame, please let me know and I'll change them.

---

The large, chalky grey wolf cleared his throat loudly, and everyone in the room turned their eyes to face him.

This was not going to go smoothly.

"It has come to my attention that there is an imbalance between the members of the Legendary council,"

All eyes were curious and impatient, hungry to know more.

"As such, I, the creator, will be correcting this balance." Arceus looked at the floor; silently begging himself – for whom else does a god pray to? – for the strength to say what he needed to say.

A beautiful, feminine voice edged with a slight husk yelled out. "What imbalance are you talking about? We all have something equal to rule over." Arceus looked up to confirm that the voice did indeed come from a large, orange bird – Ho-oh. Her red eyes were murky with confusion, and her green-tipped wings were folded over her chest.

Another voice – this time from Deoxys the alien virus – echoed in Arceus's mind. "Yeah, what's the deal, Arc?"

The large lupine winced at the use of his dreaded nickname. "Please refrain from referring to me by those terms. Now, let me explain. Some of you have a special item that contains a fragment of your soul. I, personally, have seventeen of these items – my plates. It has been brought to my attention that only a few of these legends have such items."

"Yeah, and too right they do! Them doodads seem to cause more trouble then they're bloody well worth."

This comment came from Regirock, speaking in his trademark Australian accent. The stone golem's arms were folded across his rocky chest, and the pattern that his dots flashed indicated that if he had eyebrows, one of them would surely be raised.

Arceus bit back his temper at the Golem. "Please, would you kindly let me finish? Now, these items may seem a burden, we must remember that if weren't for the Soul Dew, we wouldn't have Latios. He would have died like any mortal." The wolf god looked to the small blue dragon, who snuggled close to his counterpart at the thought of such an idea.

"Now, since I'm sure everyone can see the benefit of having these items, we can all agree that the fact that some legendaries have them while other's don't is a great injustice. Therefore, each of you who doesn't have an item – which shall henceforth be known as Soul items, due to their composition- will have part of your soul fashioned into one."

Groans filled the air. Every legend seemed to disapprove of their leader's idea, aside from the ones who already had items, of course, and the shyer legends. Deoxys, unsurprisingly, was the most opposed to the idea, even shouting out at his leader. "This is a joke!" The words pounded every mind in the room, particularly the wolf.

"HOWEVER!"

Just as they had groaned in union, all of the legends in the hall winced at the use of Hyper Voice. Arceus was very skilled at projecting his voice, and it assaulted their eardrums like a Scyther's claws.

"However," The wolf growled, his bright, metallic green eyes daring anyone else to speak over him "I understand that this will be a significant strain on you. Given this, I have decided to offer a form of compensation."

The god had his creations' undivided attention at that. Of course, the buggers.

"I'm sure you've all noticed that the pokémon that have Soul Items each possess a signature move. I had not realised until recently that none of you have a signature move, so all of you will receive one."

A loud guffaw of joy came from Raikou - he had always wanted a signature move – but Arceus ignored it and continued.

"Articuno," he said softly, and the blue bird raised his elegant head to stare at his leader with charming red eyes. "You will be receiving an item that I will call the Icy Feather. Furthermore, I will allow you to use an attack called Ice Wing."

After getting a calm, accepting nod from the snow eagle, Arceus turned to Zapdos. The bird had an unmistakeable grin on his beak, and his blue eyes were alight with excitement. "You shall be receiving a Static Feather, as well as the attack Thunder Wing." The giant woodpecker could not help but flutter his wings in excitement, causing his fiery counterpart to stare at him admiringly.

However, Moltres' attention snapped to Arceus when he called her name. "Your soul will be converted to a Molten Feather. Your attack shall be called Fire Wing." Moltres accepted this carelessly, before staring at the ground with a pained expression.

"Mew." The little creature was sitting not in her seat, but atop her counterpart's head. She stared at her creator with wide, blue eyes. "You shall receive the item Life Crystal, and henceforth know the move Genesis Orb. The pink kitten squealed with delight.

"Mewtwo, you shall receive the Havoc Crystal, and learn the attack Exodus Orb." The larger feline's amethyst eyes remained blank, but he nodded.

Arceus swivelled to face where the Legendary Cats were seated, Raikou bouncing up and down. "Raikou, Entei and Suicune, you will each receive a Storm Relic, Volcano Relic and Wind Relic respectively. As for your moves, I have decided on Bolt Beam, Fire Strike and Aurora Wind." The leopard and lion nodded their heads, while the tiger let out a whoop of joy.

"Celebi?" The strange, bug like pixie looked up quizzically at the mention of her name. "You will receive the move Heal Spore, as well as the item Chrono Leaf." The pixie giggled in delight at this.

"Well, we all know that Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza already have their items, so all they require are some moves. You each shall learn Marine Wave, Chasm Burst, and Hurricane." Rayquaza and Groudon grinned at each other, while Kyogre managed a small smile.

"Latias and Latios will have their Soul Dew separated into two items – the Lusture Dew and the Mist Dew. This will help give both of these pokémon the opportunity to be revived if one of them should die once more."

"As for the Regi Trio," - the three golems looked up – "You shall each be receiving the Ice, Stone and Iron Tablets. Your attacks shall be known as Ice Power, Stone Power, and Iron Power."

"Jirachi, you already have a signature move, so you will get the item Wish Meteor. And as for your counterpart," – Arceus pronounced the last word carefully, as if even he feared the wrath of the psychic virus – "Deoxys will receive the Helix Stone."

If the virus had a face, you could have sworn he would have grinned. "Cooool." This was interesting, considering the virus had protested about receiving an item before, but Deoxys' intentions were his own.

Arceus now turned to the Sinnoh Legends. "Now, most of you have a signature move, besides the Lake Trio. Uxie, you will be in charge of the Knowledge Prism, and your attack shall be Memory Flash. Mesprit, you shall receive the Emotion Prism and the attack Soul Burst. Azelf, your item shall be the Willpower Prism, and your attack Hope Ray."

Arceus took a deep breath, as if he were growing tired listing all of this off. "Now, as far as my beliefs go, Dialga, Palkia, Heatran, Giratina and Cresselia are all taken care of." These legends gave a brief nod of agreement, before the tired wolf continued. "So I will align Regigagas the Plain Tablet, Manaphy the Ocean Jewel, Darkrai the Eclipse Claw, and Shaymin the Gratitude stone." The wolf sighed. "Well, that's that. Now, to those of you who are receiving items, you will most likely feel a bit drained tomorrow when you awaken, since I am going to craft these items out of a fragment of your soul as you sleep. As for those with attacks, I have already willed you to have these attacks, so you may leave now and try them. This council is dismissed."

---

Yups, this is purely an introduction to the concept of every Legend receiving an Item and a move. I don't really want to go through every legend testing their attack, but would rather skip straight to one of the legends awakening to find their item. I think I'll focus on Celebi and Mesprit for the first one, since they're the first paring. Not every chapter will follow the list, though.

I also might include Heatran and Arceus, and perhaps Raikou and Deoxys, since I'm a bit obsessed with Deoxys at the moment and want to further build his character.

Also, if you found this chapter disappointing, please read the first chapter. I assure you it will be better.

-Sulph


	2. Special

Okay, here's the first official chappie. Hope it's better than that awful prologue.

Please note that this chapter contains swearing, because Heatran is angry as hell.

---

"Ughh…"

Mesprit felt like he was drugged. While it had always been difficult for the small, pink pixie to awaken from his slumber, this was even more excruciating. It took a few moments for the legend to collect his thoughts and sit up in the shallow puddle of water that he slept in, rubbing his large, sleepy eyes and blinking them a few times to reveal large, golden orbs.

He found himself staring into a large pair of sea blue eyes. "Hello there!"

The little pixie squeaked in shock at his unexpected visitor, and despite still being sleepy, managed to crab waddle back a few steps. The green, insect-like fairy that hovered in front of him giggled into her hands. Mesprit was taken by how cute this was, but this was replaced by annoyance.

"Celebi! You can't scare me like that!" His voice, which was usually very high, pitched for a male, was husked with sleep.

"Oh, but why can't I? If I weren't here scaring you, something awful might be happening to me. Like, getting hit by a bus, or disembowelled by a Scyther, or getting Rick rolled, or…"

The emotion being put his little grey paws to his ears. "Okay, I get it! I'm glad you're here and not getting killed in some horrible way, but I'm not a morning person! Why'd you come over so early?" Infuriatingly to Mesprit, Celebi retained a goofy smile despite his angry tone.

"Oh, to see your Soul Item, of course!"

Mesprit raised an eyebrow. "What on earth are you talking about? Arceus has them, doesn't he?"

Still with goofy smile inset, Celebi shook her head. "Look behind you, Mesprit."

The pink pixie turned his head, the tubelike growths on his head swishing as he did so. Nestled in the far corner of his cave was a pink crystalline orb, the Emotion Prism. Mesprit's heart gave a little pulse, he felt an instant connection to the object considering it was part of his soul. Carefully, he levitated into the air while shaking the water from his short fur, and hovered over to where the item was.

"Well, pick it up, it's not going to bite your head off!"

With a grouchy glare at Celebi, the legend scooped up the orb. He could feel the power humming beneath it's surface as he pushed it to his chest and absorbed it, a technique used by pokémon that humans referred to as "Holding."

Mesprit instantly turned to Celebi, his face blank now. "Let's see yours, then."

The bug like pixie's infamous grin returned. "Well, of course, how rude of me!" She began to glow all over, and a leaf-shaped object emerged from her chest. Celebi stopped glowing and grabbed the leaf.

"Here… come over and take a look!"

Mesprit warily hovered over to see the leaf. It was about as long as one of his two tails, and curved like a blade. It wasn't really a leaf, but a deep green crystal shaped like one. In its surface were some strange markings that Mesprit couldn't make out.

"Ermm, cool. Is there any other reason you wanted to visit me?"

Celebi's smile dropped, and she blushed. "Umm, not really. It's sorta time for the meeting now, so do you want to head over there?"

"Sure, I guess." Mesprit followed the strange pixie out of the cavern, thoroughly confused. "Girls…" He muttered.

---

Deoxys hung back after the meeting, deep in though.

This was utterly out of character for him, obviously. A rash, cheeky legend, he rarely thought about anything other than ways to make fun of his peers.

But, believe it or not, the space virus was actually contemplating his self-worth.

_Do I really deserve to be a part of this council? On my planet, I'm just like all the others. _As he thought, the legend stared at the rough chromosome shaped rock that he held in his palm. This rock was part of his very soul, his very being. What would they say about that back where he lived?

Deoxys knew that his soul was worth nothing.

He didn't even deserve this.

"Hiya Deoxys!"

The virus sighed heavily. He didn't want to be seen in this state, his reputation would be ruined. But he wasn't going to be rude to a creature that was so happy to see him. So he swung around to see the familiar face of the thunder tiger grinning at him.

"I was just gonna go play a prank on Manaphy. Wanna join?"

The space virus looked at the ground and shook his head. "No thanks, man. I'm not really in the mood."

Raikou, despite his hyperactive nature, was a sensitive beast, so he could tell that there was something wrong with his friend. "What's up?" He inquired, jumping onto the broken pillar that Deoxys was sitting.

Deoxys edged away from his friend. "Nothing. Don't worry about it, just go play the prank, 'Kay?"

Raikou shook his masked head stubbornly. "Uh-uh. You're gonna tell me what's up, mister, or I might just have to Crunch your ass. Well, not literally…" The tiger blushed.

Deoxys sighed once more. "Ok. Well, I guess I just feel a little… useless. I mean, all the other legends seem to have really cool powers, like control over time, granting wishes, and creating storms," Blank, emotionless eyes met caring crimson orbs for a moment, and flicked away. "But what can I do? Change Formes.' Deoxys scowled and kicked a loose piece of rubble "A fricken Burmy can do that."

Raikou frowned. "But a Burmy isn't from outer space, and a Burmy can't grow back arms and legs. Heck, they don't even have arms or legs."

"And that's another thing. I'm not even from this place. Back where I come from, everyone can do what I can do. There's nothing special about me." Deoxys looked at the purple crystal on his chest. "See this, Raikou? It's sort of like my item. Every Deoxys on my home planet has a different coloured one. If this gets destroyed, I die."

Raikou's red eyes were adamant. "It's not your item. That rock is your item. I guess the gem is sorta like my mask. 'Sept, you're born with it, but I've been wearing this mask for so long it just kinda grew into my face. So, you are a legendary pokémon, and you deserve an item."

"But what's so special about me? On my home planet, I'm just like anybody else. There's nothing different about me."

Raikou glared at Deoxys, but there was nothing malicious about it. "This isn't your home planet, Ox. This is earth. Here, you are considered special by both pokémon and humans alike. Especially me." The tiger blushed, and turned away.

Deoxys sighed and rubbed his head. "Thanks Rai. I kind of needed to hear that."

"Do ya need a hug?" The thunder god looked at Deoxys sensitively, and the space virus nodded.

Deoxys had never hugged another male before. But when Raikou linked his legs around the virus's neck, something just felt…right about it. He'd hugged girls before, but he'd never felt anything but friendship from it. Raikou was warm, fluffy, and, well cuddly. Deoxys didn't really want to let go, but he knew he had to.

The tiger grinned and let go of Deoxys. "Now, are we gonna dump rotten eggs on Manaphy or what?"

The space virus leap to his feet. "You bet!" As he said this, an extremely angry looking Heatran with smoke pouring from her mouth clanked across the room. She seemed headed for Arceus's chamber. "Guess we better get out of here!" said Deoxys with a worried expression. The thunder tiger nodded, and the friends quickly exited the room, leaving Arceus to deal with whatever horrific death Heatran had planned for him.

---

The said God wolf was actually preparing himself for a nap. Having to argue with Azelf about something was like pulling teeth: the darned pixie was as stubborn as you'd expect a willpower being to be. As a result of this, Arceus was exhausted.

Despite what many thought, the huge golden wheel that Arceus wore around his stomach wasn't attached to him. He wore it purely for ornamental reasons, like any kind wears a crown. What sense would it be for the perfect creature to be incapable of lying down?

Arceus slipped his lower quarters through the wheel, letting it fall to the floor with a clunk. Using his psychic power, he levitated the wheel to the corner of the room and rested it against the wall.

The wolf turned to his bed, ruffling the white fur where the wheel had sat it flat. "Now, finally time for some sleep."

Arceus's bed was rather modest. It was human made, so it looked like any other human bed, but it was very plain and simple. But for a pokémon, a comfortable bed such as this was truly a luxury.

The wolf pulled back the quilt with a paw, and elegantly slipped his lanky body beneath the covers. It was wonderfully cool on his fur, and with a mental command, all light was shut out of the room.

Arceus yawned and snuggled his head into the pillow, his eyes closed gently. He felt the gentle lull of sleep pulling on his powerful mind, and gradually let himself into the safe blanket of slumber.

"WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?"

At first, the creator thought it was his tired mind playing tricks on him. But when he could smell burning ash and smoke, he knew that he was doomed.

Indeed, Arceus's eyes opened to reveal a large, fiery creature clinging to his roof. The rough body seemed to be composed of metal and fire, and many argued that Heatran was immensely ugly. But even as her bright red eyes glared into his sea green and crimson ones, Arceus felt genuine affection for his creation.

"What is it, Heatran?" The wolf asked tiredly, rising out of his bed.

The fire creature growled. "What is it? The fact that I am totally useless is what!"

The wolf frowned, sleepy lines of concentration appearing on his dark grey muzzle. "What do you mean?"

Heatran's eye narrowed more. "Why the fuck did you create me when I serve no purpose whatsoever? The only attention I ever get is ridicule! And now, the only thing that _ever_ made me special or different, everyone else gets too! Just what kind of a _God_ are you?" She spat.

The wolf sighed loudly. "You are special, Heatran."

The draconic creature raised a lumpy piece of metal that passed as an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Would you be so kind as to tell me _how_?"

Arceus beckoned Heatran to come down, and she did so huffily. "Well, to begin with, you provide a very important role in Sinnoh. You are the sole Guardian of the Magma Stone, which, as well as being your Soul Item, is also the only thing that stops Stark Mountain from erupting. Now, as you know, Stark Mountain is the volcano that created Sinnoh, so it would be all too easy to destroy it, also. If you weren't there to guard the item, some idiotic human would steal it, and all of Sinnoh would perish."

Heatran snorted, puffing out soot from her nostrils.

"And also..." Arceus looked to the ground, and pawed it nervously. "Since when did a pokémon's worth stem from how useful they are? The true power of any being comes from their very soul and heart. And I happen to know that… you are a wonderful person, Heatran. You are an incredibly dedicated friend, a loyal council member, and a hard worker. And that is what I think truly makes you special."

Heatran looked away, made placid by her creator's wise words. However, Heatran was not going to let herself get sappy; she was in too bad of a mood. "Sounds like you got that directly from the Pokémon anime," she rasped, and then her voice softened slightly. "But… thanks. I guess there was a lot of truth in what you were saying. I was just too angry to realise." Her gaze was slightly softer, but still blazed with emotion.

"Uhh, well I'm glad you can see that now. Now, if you could please excuse me, as I am extremely tired and was just about to take a nap."

Heatran smiled, something uncommon for her after being so angry. "Ok then. Enjoy your sleep." The red pokémon left the room, leaving nothing but the scent of charred ash behind.

Arceus climbed back into bed and smiled into his pillow. Etched into his mind was the warm smile on Heatran's face.

He didn't care what anyone else thought. He thought she was beautiful.

Arceus lost himself to the safe embrace of sleep, where visions of a certain red fire-type whirled in his head.

Look's like Sulphuric Wolf's Fluffomatic V1.0™ is back in action. I really loved writing this chapter, it introduced some legends that I don't really write about often. And I loved exploring Deoxys' sensitive side.

Hope you like reading it, folks!

-Sulph


	3. Respect

Well, second chapter. Sorry it took so long, I've been busy with exams and finishing majors, as well as going though a really bad emotional time which has put me through a lot of pain. Thank Arceus the year is over.

This one will take place out of the legendary's little world, with the main antagonists being introduced. Notice it will also contain my fake pokémon, Cathoprot and Anolect, which are the evolutions of Plusle and Minun respectively. Despite the fact that both of the existing pokémon are rodents, their evolutions are cat and dog based. Also, Cathoprot is Electric/Fire, and Anolect is Electric/Ice.

Don't worry though, there will be some legendary shippings too, namely BlackSun. I just had to set the scene a bit.

Cathoprot and Anolect belong to me. Do not use them without my permission.

---

The guy was fast, Rolith would give him that.

The electric cat sped after the Medicham, his wide red paws kicking up snow as he ran. Even with such clumsy looking legs, the meditation pokémon seemed to glide along, pumping his long, grey arms.

Rolith growled at the situation. Despite the Cathoprot's famous speed, he was beginning to tire of this. As a fire type, he was very much averted to snowy settings like these, and the snow clung to his fur as hail pelted from the sky. The hail did have it's benefits, however, for Rolith began to notice the Medicham in front of him slow down.

Without warning, the creature pitched forward with a yelp, toppling down the snowy hill. The Cathoprot stopped to watch his target plunge into the snow so hard, he was buried by the cold ice.

A smile grazed the feline's lips, and his whiskers twitched in anticipation.

Padding down the slop with nothing but feline grace, Rolith located the patch of snow where the Medicham had fallen, and began to dig.

At first, all that the Medicham could see was white snow. A scraping noise caught his attention, and he blinked to see a large, sulphur-coloured face staring down at him.

The cat's crimson eyes were filled with malice. The Medicham gasped as a large claw rested on his windpipe, but he grinned anyway.

"Do as you wish, Cathoprot. You will never find out what Team Alpha have planned." The Medicham reached up to finger the black band with a gold letter A around it, and discovered that it was covered in his own blood.

Rolith lashed his plus-tipped tail. "Oh, now you will tell me, or you will stain the snow with every drop of your filthy blood. What is the team hiding?"

The empty black eyes of the fighting type glared up at him defiantly. "You will never find out." The hoarse chuckle that he emitted was soon replaced by a screech as Rolith's claws pressed into his windpipe. "Okay, fine, fine, I'll tell you!" howled the meditation pokémon.

"Well then, what is it?" the fire type sneered, excited by the gushing blood. He had to be careful not to break the windpipe of the creature, because he needed that information.

"Team Alpha have found… Plates. They… can harness the power of these Plates… to kill pokémon. All the need is… the power from every legendary."

Rolith's eyes widened. "But… that cannot be! The Creator, Arceus is the only possessor of the Plates!" He loosed his grip on the creature's neck.

The Medicham gave a coughing chuckle. "Oh, my dear Cathoprot. How misguided you are. Team Alpha has power beyond your understanding. We have found Plates in Sinnoh's underground, and with the power of these as well as all of the legendary pokémon, we will create the ultimate items to destroy pokémon in battle, and then we shall conquer all that there is!"

With a howl of rage, the Cathoprot sunk his claws into the Medicham's windpipe. The humanoid creature tried to scream, but only managed to make a gurgling noise and splatter blood everywhere.

With a low, angry growl, the cat turned and stalked away.

---

"Master."

The scent of blood clung to Rolith, even Julius's weak human nose could pick it up. He stiffened as the Cathode pokémon stalked near him, his bloody pawprints tainting the ground.

It was unusual for a human to understand pokémon speech, but then, Julius wasn't an ordinary human. He was a legendary watcher.

Julius was one of those obsessive watchers of legendary pokémon; and had been since a young age. He had never been a terrific trainer, never able to even get past the first gym in his home region of Sinnoh.

The then teenager finally gave up on training after countless taunts from his peers, and left Lorto to study legendary pokémon with an expert in Sinnoh. The expert took pity on Julius, and gave him a Plusle and a Minun, which he seemed to have no problem in training, unlike his starter pokémon. It seemed strange, but Julius was not bothered by it. Over the years he had gained much wisdom, and Rolith knew that if what the Medicham had said was true, Julius would know what to do.

The young man looked at his pokémon with amethyst eyes that hid all emotion. "Yo caught it, didn't you?"

The cat looked down at the bloody mess at his feet. "Ever the observant one, Master."

The blue-haired man managed a slight chuckle at this. "And what information did you get from it?"

Rolith yawned, and flunked down on the grass. It had taken him a long time to return from his journey, but he was thankful to finally be out of that awful snow. "Yes. He said something about Team Alpha, and extra Plates, and how they were going to make items powerful enough to _kill_ other pokémon. I don't believe it."

Julius' eyes widened, but he did not comment. Instead he turned his grave gaze onto his pokémon.

"And Deimtri? What of him? Has he returned from his mission yet?"

Rolith rolled his eyes at the thought of his goofy canid of a brother. While the Cathoprot was an efficient and intelligent killer, the Anolect was quite the opposite: rash, clumsy, and altogether rather incompetent. Being an ice-type, Deimtri would seem the perfect candidate for the snowy mission that Rolith had engaged in, but Julius was well aware that the canid would not be capable of such a thing. The Anolect had instead sent to chase another pokémon bearing the same symbol as the Medicham – this one a Pachirisu – for information.

"No, he has not returned yet. The idiot probably fell into a hole or something… well, speak of the devil." A small, satisfied smile graced the cat's face as he gazed over his master's shoulder. Julius turned to see his other pokémon trotting towards them, a famous spaced-out expression on his face.

Rolith and Deimtri's physical differences extended beyond that they were of different species. While they shared the same base fur colour – dusty, washed out yellow – but Rolith's eyes were a deep red while his brothers were deep blue. Instead of the red four pointed star design that the feline had on each cheek, Deimtri simply had two blue slashes. Their ears and paws were the same colour as their facial markings, as was the plus and minus shape on each of their tail tips. Also, Deimtri was slightly larger than his brother, but Rolith had sharper claws.

The Cathoprot rose to his feet gingerly, unwilling to stand up but happy to see his brother. "You're back, you idiot. Thank goodness you're ok." The cat arched his tail and rubbed his face against Deimtri's shoulder.

The dog licked him gently on the face in return. "It's good to see ya, bro. You wouldn't believe what I found out!"

Seemingly proud of his discovery, the negatively charged dog faced his master with an excitable look on his face. "I caught that Pachirisu thingy, and it told me that those Team Alpha peoples are gonna make some weird item thingies to kill pokémon. Sounds like a load of bollocks if you ask me, though."

Rolith nodded. "Yes, that's what I was told as well." He turned to his master. "So, what do we do now, Master?"

Julius looked at his pokémon as though the cat was out of its mind. "Well, we get these items, of course. What else could we do?"

Both pokémon looked at each other in surprise. This was rash, not like the calm and thoughtful Julius that they knew. It was Rolith who spoke up. "M-master, with all due respect…"

Julius held up a delicate, white hand. "Wait for a second, let me explain." Both pokémon sat down, confused, yet in respect of their master.

Julius exhaled loudly and ran a hand through his cobalt hair. "Well… you know how much I love legendary pokémon, right?" The slender man seemed nervous.

The pokémon exchanged confused and worried glances. "Yes, but…"

"I need those items." Julius blurted out, jumping to his feet in a swift movement. "I need them to capture the legendary pokémon."

Rolith leapt to his feet. "What on earth? You have got to be kidding me! We've studied people who have tried to capture legendary pokémon before, Julius. No good will come of it. Surely you know that!" The Cathoprot's face was both hurt and shocked.

Deimtri stood up besides his brother. "I fully agree with 'Lithy, Master. You seem kinda crazy. Maybe you should lie down?"

Julius turned to his pokémon, pupils diluted, and a crazy look about him. The Anolect shrunk back a little, knowing about his master's erratic mood swings. "I'm not crazy at all, Deimtri, just alive! Now, you listen to me and you listen good."

Both pokémon lowered their bodies down, afraid of what was to come.

Julius began to pace, his purple eyes filled with rage. "All my life, I have known a word ruled by _Trainers. _People who rely on brute strength." Julius was spitting as he spoke. "I will show the world that I can be better than any trainer, even if I don't waste my time battling against Bidoof in grass. The legendary pokémon will willingly befriend me, for I know of their power." Julius spun to face his pokémon, eyes wilder than ever. "Together, we will rule over humans, pokémon taking their rightful place as lords of the earth."

Deimtri was stunned. "Wow, he sounds just like a cliché villain."

Rolith, however, was furious. "How can you even say that? Are you deluded? You know something like that would never work, Julius!" The man was taken back by his pokémon's use of his name. "And if that's what you're going to do, I refuse to be a part of it!"

Pain laced Julius' eyes, and he sighed loudly. "I'm very sorry you see it that way, Rolith. I had intended to raise us all up among the gods. But if that it your desisicon, I have no choice but to accept it. Are you sure this is what you want?"

Rolith nodded wordlessly.

Sighing sadly again, Julius pulled a black and yellow orb out of his pocket: Rolith's Ultra Ball. With a brief look of sadness, he crushed the ball in his hand and let the small shards of material scatter to the ground. They corroded instantly, becoming a black soot.

Rolith felt the immaterial bond between him and his trainer disappear. His heart throbbed with pain.

"Well, that's settled. Goodbye." Rolith turned his ashen face and began to stalk away.

"Wait!" Barked a loud voice. Both the man and the Cathoprot turned to see Deimtri beginning to follow Rolith. "You might as well do the same for me, Julius, I'm not letting my brother go off by himself."

Rolith smiled weakly. "Thank you."

With a final sad look at their past trainer, the pair headed off into the wild. The legendary expert watched the only two pokémon who hadn't given up on him walk out of his life, as he wordlessly crushed Deimtri's ball.

_I'm sorry it came to this, my friends. But it is a necessary sacrifice to do what truly needs to be done. The age of pokémon training ends now!  
_

---

Things really couldn't get more awkward for Ho-oh right now.

The beautiful, multicoloured bird had arrived early to the meeting as she always did. The rainbow phoenix, being the entity of the sun, believed in rising up early and making the most of every day. Plus, she liked to arrive early at the great Hall of Legends to preen herself. She wasn't going to look scatty when there were males around, now was she?

But today she had found she was not the first to arrive at the meeting. Sitting like a forsaken statue in his indentation around the outskirts of the great hall was the God of the Underworld, Giratina. The large platinum basilisk was probably the quietest legend, only talking when he had something important to say. He was mostly ignored as a haunting presence by the bulk of the legendary council, yet being the God of Death still required an amount of respect.

Ho-oh was a being of light and warmth, and she could see the tormented look in the basilisk's wine coloured eyes whenever they spoke. She was sure that this was because of the centuries he spent dealing with the dead souls of creatures, and hearing their tortured screams echo through Turnback Cave as they echoed into his twisted and bizarre world.

In short, Giratina creeped the heck out of Ho-oh.

Despite this, Ho-Oh still believed everyone deserved to be talked to, even demonic, tortured hell-dragons. So she decided she would try to make conversation with the basilisk, even if it was a little awkward.

"So, ermm, how are you today, Giratina?" The dragon looked up, surprised, at the mention of his name. The phoenix shivered as his deep red eyes locked onto hers.

"Oh… well I'm ok, I suppose. How are you?" His voice was deep and melancholy.

Ho-oh gulped. Man, this was awkward. "Yeah, I'm ok too." There was an icy silence for a few moments, and then, to Ho-oh's surprise, Giratina spoke to her once more.

"What do you think about the new things that Arceus has set in place?"

This was highly unusual of Giratina. It was rare that any conversation with him extended beyond pleasantries, and even more unusual that he was the one to keep the conversation going. Since Giratina was a fellow legend after all, Ho-Oh felt a little burst of pride for him.

"I guess it doesn't really affect me, really. I've had my Rainbow Wing for centuries now, as well as knowing Sacred Fire. So I don't really know what the others are complaining about."

The basilisk nodded in agreement. "It's not that difficult. However, I do suppose my Griseous Orb isn't really worth anyone trying to get. So, I suppose I don't have any right to complain."

Ho-Oh was once again surprised by Giratina. Who'd have known such a morbid creature could be so wise? She nodded silently, not wanting to override this peaceful moment and contradict his wise thoughts by complaining about humans always wanting to steal her Rainbow Wing.

When the silence washed over the room again, this time it wasn't uncomfortable, but one of mutual respect.

---

Oh, I love writing about Giratina. He/She/It is just so deliciously morbid. I decided not to make it a female like I usually do, because I set Ho-Oh as a female early on in this fic and it's nice for something different. Plus, I totally changed it's personality from a sarcastic teen girl type character to well, the Giratina you see here.

Hope you enjoy, and please review. Reviews make Sulphuric Wolf happy and write faster!


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